The present invention claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 9-256967 filed Sep. 22, 1997, which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for searching databases distributed on a network and outputting retrieved data. Particularly, the present invention is utilized in a technique for retrieving data of databases distributed on the Internet and outputting the retrieved data on a time axis sequentially and in a technique for inserting secondary information such as advertisement into main information to be retrieved in synchronism with an output/display of the main information and providing the main information together with the secondary information.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been a technique for searching databases distributed on a network and displaying retrieved information. The WWW (World Wide Web) utilizing the Internet is an example of such technique, with which a user can easily and inexpensively obtain a desired information, and is becoming popular worldwide rapidly.
In the WWW, search software for performing a keyword search such as "Yahoo!" is well known and widely used as directory services for notifying database to be accessed.
These directory services are techniques for, in order to acquire data on the user side, voluntarily searching aimed data and acquiring a position information of the aimed data. However, this technique is not easy for users who are unfamiliar with computer operation.
On the other hand, the directory service so-called "push type" service, in which information is distributed from the database side to the user, was started. In this technique, information assigned by the user is automatically sent from the database to the user terminal (client) when the user accesses a specific database (server). There are various constructions of the push type service technique.
Inventors of the present invention have proposed a database search method and apparatus in which a user takes in position information of a necessary database without necessity of voluntary computer operation by himself and the information is displayed on a display screen of an operation terminal (Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 8-297317).
In this technique, a directory information server holds scenario information composed of information to be distributed to users and arranged on a time axis and, in response to an access from a database searcher, automatically distributes a sequence of position information (URL) assigning a position in which a file to be displayed exists and time interval thereof to the database searcher along the scenario information.
FIG. 1 shows an example in which this technique is applied to the Internet. In FIG. 1, a directory information provider 30 stores a scenario information 40 composed of URL and information assigning a time interval of transmission of URL. The directory information provider 30 transmits URL arranged on a time axis described in the scenario information 40 to a database searcher 20 according to the assigned time interval. In the database 20, a browser controller 22 receives URL from the directory information provider 30 and outputs it to a WWW browser 21. The WWW browser 21 accesses a corresponding WWW server 61, 62, . . . , or 6n on the Internet on the basis of the input URL, down-loads a home page of the assigned URL and displays it on the WWW browser.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the processing in the directory information provider 30. The directory information provider 30 transmits position information (URL) to the database searcher 20 according to the time interval described in the scenario information 40.
As mentioned above, according to the database search method utilizing WWW and device therefor proposed by the inventors, the user can watch and hear the information of the home page sent from the WWW server by watching a screen of the WWW browser as if he watches a television screen.
That is, according to the database search method utilizing WWW and device therefor proposed by the inventors, the user can watch a screen of the WWW browser as if he watches a television screen and the information provider can show the user an information which the information provider wants to show in a sequence desired by the information provider.
However, in such technique, there is a problem that, when a scenario information is updated/changed in order to insert any secondary information into the information to be retrieved and displayed, the update/change of the scenario information is complicated and not easy.
For example, when an advertisement is to be shown in the above mentioned directory service, an advertisement URL must be described in the scenario information. However, the advertisement URL is to be changed from time to time and, in order to change the advertisement, the scenario must be changed in the body of the scenario information at every timing of the insertion of the advertisement. Particularly, the work load for changing the scenario information every time when the advertisement information is to be inserted, while there is no change of the information (referred to as "main information" or "body information") to be output/displayed for the user, is very heavy. Therefore, the utility of the directory information providing service is restricted and popularization thereof is prevented. Further, it becomes difficult to utilize advertisement on the Internet and database providing business free of charge is limited.